Today is Memorial Day. Again, for me and countless other veterans of the military, it is and always will be much, much, more than cookouts, ballgames and sales at the local mall. I just heard this quote on NPR this morning; “All of those who served in the military deserve to be honored today…” –Colin Powell, former Army General and Commander of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and U.S. Secretary of State.
A few personal favorites from past Memorial Days. Semper fi. ~cg
Graduating cadet Joshua Edds, 23, of White Pidgeon, MI, secures an American flag at his brother Jonathan’s grave site in the cemetery at the United States Military Academy at West Point on Friday, May 30, 2008. Edds’ older brother Jonathan, also a West Point graduate was killed in Iraq last August and his eldest brother Joel is an Army Captain currently stationed at Fort Benning, GA. © CHET GORDON/Times Herald-Record
United States Marine Corps color guard members from MAG-49 at Stewart ANGB (L-R): L/cpl Joseph Gurule, Sgt. Josh Meketa and L/cpl Roberto Lopez (partially hidden at left) pause inside Tuxedo HIgh School prior to presenting the nation’s colors for the Memorial Day Assembly at George F. Baker Tuxedo High School in Tuxedo, NY on Thursday, May 27, 2011. © CHET GORDON/Times Herald-Record
Vietnam War veteran Richie Sanchez (53) watches the Memorial Day Parade proceed along Broadway in Newburgh, NY on Monday, May 30, 2011. Sanchez served in Army as an infantryman in Vietnam during 1975 – 1976. © Chet Gordon/THE IMAGE WORKS
Chet Gordon resides in the lower Hudson Valley region of New York. A photojournalist for more than 25 years, he recently worked as Westchester Magazine's first photo editor, and previously was a staff photographer at four NYC metro area newspapers. He was also a photo editor at the NY Daily News for 5 years. His work has appeared in The New York Times, International Herald-Tribune, USA Today, MailOnline (UK), Army Times, Wall Street Journal, BusinessWeek, and Popular Photography magazines, among others. He is a career member of the National Press Photographer’s Association (NPPA), and a former board member of the NY Press Photographer’s Association (NYPPA). He served honorably as a U.S. Marine in the mid-1980's, including 2+ years stationed on Okinawa, Japan, and throughout Southeast Asia. A longtime volunteer and travel enthusiast, he accompanies several humanitarian aid clients on their international disaster relief and medical missions. Since 1997, he's worked in several African countries, the Middle East, Central and South America, Eastern Europe, as well as Afghanistan, Haiti, the Russian Federation, and Thailand. He routinely mentors young photographers looking to break into the industry and vacations in Bermuda and Kenya.
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